Adding further weight to its well recognised business credentials, Luxembourg has achieved a top ten ranking in the latest Global Information Technology Report by the World Economic Forum.
The report lists the Grand Duchy at ninth in the world in its Networked Readiness Index, which rates the ability of individuals, businesses and governments to draw economic and social benefits from Information and Communications Technology (ICT).
The index is calculated using 53 indicators, and Luxembourg's score of 5.6 puts it just behind top ranked Singapore (6.0), Finland (6.0) and Sweden (5.8) and ahead of Germany, Belgium and France.
The authors of the report note that Luxembourg has continued an impressive upward trend in its ranking, having been listed at 21st in 2012, and point out that the country benefits from a stable and efficient political and regulatory environment (3rd) with well-developed ICT legislative framework (2nd).
The report writers go on to comment: "Venture capital availability (10th) and low tax rates (13th), among other factors, foster business development and innovation (27th). Luxembourg also possesses excellent infrastructure (18th). ICT usage is widespread among the population, business, and government alike, even though the country comes up short in terms of affordability (50th).
"A service-based economy, Luxembourg is greatly influenced by information technology. Almost 60% of the workforce is employed in knowledge-intensive jobs (1st), and ICTs largely foster the development of new services and products (7th) and new organisational models (17th)."
The report notes there is room for improvement in the government's online services (42nd) and say citizen's e-participation (54th) can also be facilitated further.
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